Can I Sleep In Your Tent Tonight?
by OtakuGuy10
Summary: PLOT: Toph, a blind Earth-Bender, joins the gang on their quest to stop the Fire-Nation.
1. Chapter 1

Can I Sleep in Your Tent Tonight?

An Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfic

I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER. THIS IS JUST A FANFIC.

PLOT: Toph, an earth-bending adventurer, joins the gang on their quest.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This fanfic is the first part of a three-story collection of Avatar fanfics I am writing. The second part is "Blind Love" and the third part is still under work. To maximize your understanding of the inter-related storyline of these three fanfics, please read this story first, then "Blind Love." When the last part is finished, please read it to bring this epic trilogy to a close. Now, on with the fanfic.

**CHAPTER ONE **

The gang had met a new friend on their quest: a blind Earth-Bender named Toph Bei Fong, the daughter of a royal Earth couple. Aang was told to seek a patient, illusive Earth-Bender; one who listened and waited before attacking. After witnessing firsthand her capabilities, he knew this pampered, yet tomboyish Toph was indeed that Earth-Bender. While she was rough at becoming part of the team, Toph had eventually come to like the three and got used to being around them. She was going with them primarily to escape from her over-protective parents.

Toph loathed how her parents perpetually treated her like a baby. They believed all the ills of the world would befall her if she so much as stepped one dirty foot outside of the Bei Fong Estate. Toph ran away and never looked back. She and the rest of the team had left Gaoling, Toph's home-city, and were on the road towards the Foggy Swamp. A wise sage lived there, master of a form of Water-Bending unique to that geographical region. Rumor had it that he could manipulate the moisture in plants and vegetation to create a protective wrapping of vines. Aang said mastering all forms of the bending arts would allow him to unlock his true powers of the Avatar State and ultimately stop the Fire Nation from conquering the entire world.

Aang, Katara, Sokka, and now Toph had traveled for some time before reaching a large Earth city. Not quite as big as Ba Sing Se, but almost comparable. The kids decided to rest up for a while and look around for supplies for the trip ahead. They passed through the gate and split up, Aang with Sokka and Katara with Toph, and went shopping in the town's expansive market district.

"I was getting pretty hungry out there." Said Toph to Katara as they browsed the numerous aisles of foodstuffs, looking for some delicious grub. "I'm glad to be able to eat something other than nuts!" Katara looked down at Toph and smiled. She and Toph had lost quite a bit of weight since starting their travels with Aang. Katara's ribs could be seen quite prominently when she stretched backwards or sucked her gut in. She often felt them and wondered if being so skinny was good for her health. Katara was more concerned about Toph. Her growing body needed much sustenance and nutrients. A sparse diet of nuts and berries was hardly sufficient. Katara and Toph bartered some of their belongings they acquired on their treks for a hearty Earth-Kingdom meal: Earth-style flat noodles with Turtle-Duck meat, peanut sauce, assorted vegetables, and a side of white rice and egg-drop soup. The girls sat on the ground against the wall next to the vendor and ate their first real meal since leaving Gaoling. The sun wasn't as hot now as it had been in the last few days, but it was still stifling. Toph had changed her wardrobe slightly by cutting the sleeves of her shirt, exposing her now tan forearms.

"WOW! That was delicious!" Toph said before slurping the broth at the bottom of her bowl. She set the bowl down and let out a sizable belch, which made Katara blush. It was odd seeing Toph do something like that, being royalty and all. She certainly didn't let that keep her from acting like a commoner. With the Fire Nation getting craftier and craftier with their attempts to capture the gang, acting like commoners and blending in with the crowd may be a good idea. The girls drank some water to wash their meal down with and got up to leave. While Katara capped her sealskin canteen, Toph looked around the market as if daydreaming. The gang had had a run in with some highwaymen on the road, whom demanded money or else. Not wanting to cause any more hardships in the world, (or for themselves for that matter) Aang quickly handed over a good portion of their money, much to the distain of his comrades. They were ready to fight for their belongings. The peaceful Aang took the nonviolent path. The subsequent shortage of gold made it hard for them to buy anything, and bartering with what they had was less than successful. Toph was not accustomed to living on minimal food and money and thus had been getting desperate. Now Toph was willing to do anything for some good-old luxury. She grabbed Katara's wrist and led her behind the vendor's building.

"What are you doing?" Katara inquired.

"Ssshhh!" Toph shushed. "Did you like that stir-fry we just ate?"

"Yeah, I did, but why are you acting so weird all of a sudden?"

"Do you want some more? Ya know, for later?" Katara was curious about where her friend was coming from. She wasn't thinking about stealing, was she? Katara recognized that particular tone of Toph's face from before, it implied she was getting ready to do something brave, or perhaps stupid.

"You're not going to steal food from them, are you?"

"Don't think of it as…stealing. I'd call it…um…borrowed capital! Yes! We will take it now, and pay them back by liberating them from the Fire Nation!" Katara broke free of Toph's grip and crossed her arms and scoffed.

"Okay, for one, I don't think you should be proclaiming the defeat of the Fire Nation so loudly. Secondly, I don't think economics work like that…"

"Oh, c'mon! We'll just take a little, and only because we need it once we set off again in the wilderness, okay?" Katara sighed, her mind in quarrel with itself over the moral relevance of stealing to survive.

"I still don't like this idea. What if we get caught?"

"We won't. I'll go get it, and then we can run back to the meet-up spot and wait for the guys. We'll be in a new district of the city and the guards won't bother chasing us that far. But that's implying the guards will find us in the first place. I've stolen before, when I needed to, of course. I'm not so helpless just because I'm blind, okay? You saw how I handled myself against those goons at the Earth Rumble."

Katara was disappointed with Toph. She knew Toph liked things on the wild side, and was often in compromising situations, but stealing? That didn't seem like her, even if she was nabbing food to keep from starving.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" Katara whispered loudly. "I wish you would help those in need, like I do, but instead you talk about stealing? What's gotten into you?" Toph shushed Katara again.

"We'll discuss this later. Right now, I need to make my move before I lose my chance." Katara stood with an agape mouth and watched Toph slink back out into the crowd. She adjusted her studded, brown leather belt and walked away casually, like nothing was to be thought of her. This is exactly what Toph wanted.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO **

Toph walked away from a flustered Katara and back out into the market. The Water-Bender stood there, aghast at Toph's sudden criminal mentality. Toph had no trouble finding a susceptible target to thieve from. She acted casual while walking about the bazaar, waiting for the perfect chance to strike. She sifted her knapsack's open pouch for a quick stuffing of food and slid by people like a snaky assassin. Toph approached a cart laden with cabbages that an elderly man with a small grey beard was selling. Unfortunately, Toph did not see the triad of Fire-guards walking her way on a patrol. They scanned intently for any suspicious activity. Hopefully, they would not be wary of a little blind girl and her banditry.

"Good-day, miss!" Said the kindly old man as he washed one of the cabbage heads with a wet rag.

"Hello there!" A chipper Toph asserted. "It is a good day, huh? How are we doing this fine day?" Toph was acting nicer than she usually would when conversing with a random merchant. She wanted to butter him up into cutting a deal with her for a discounted price on the cabbages, on top of the ones she would make off with afterwards. Her wooing worked, so far at least.

"Why, aren't you a nice one? How about buying a cabbage today? These I picked myself just this morning! " The man said.

"Yes, I'd like to buya cabbage, but could I feel which one is the biggest? With my hands? I'm blind, you see, and I want a good-sized cabbage for a big stew our family is making."

"Well, I suppose I could. I usually don't let people handle my good unless they're intent on buying."

"Oh no no no! I do plan on buying one! That's why I want to get a big one! I'm extra hungry." The old man took the cabbage he was drying off and walked around the cart and put it in Toph's hands. Toph felt it and moved her hand over it leafy surface. "It feels big. Crisp and fresh too!" The old man liked hearing this. He always put so much hard work into his beloved cabbages. When people complimented him, it made all the back-breaking work pay off. By now, the guards were passing right by Toph Bei Fong and the cabbage cart. She could sense that they close by due to their metal greaves creating a heavier than usual and metallic footfall. Suddenly, Toph decided now wasn't the best time for stealing. Her friendly persona became more nervous, and it did not help to deter the guards' interest.

"Eh…well…" Toph said. "I do like this one, but do you have any, um, bigger ones?" She was beginning to sweat, and not from the heat. The guards thankfully had passed by with no incursion, except one made a double-take at the curiously-dressed girl, with her unusually fancy hair and garb. He stopped the other guards and they scoped out the girl too. Something seemed out of place about her.

"Hey guys…Don't you think there is something…odd about that little girl over there, with the cabbage?"

"Is it her clothes? People don't dress like that around here. They're too fancy."

The third guard chimed in. "I think we should go see what's up."

"Yeah. Maybe we should. The crime rates' been up lately, and it seems to follow curiously in the wake of these damn drifters. Come on guys." Said the leader as the trio approached a sheepish Toph. "Excuse me miss…" Said the guard with an authoritative tone. Toph slowly turned her head and looked in the direction the voice came from. Now she was really nervous.

"Um, Hello there guards. Nice day we're having here, huh?" Toph was worried because she didn't sound so cool and collected anymore. It's not like she hasn't had run-ins with police before. The Bei Fong Estate guards back home often gave scoldings when she had wondered off beyond the property walls. But this was not the Bei Fong estate. It wasn't even Gaoling. Toph was in a new place, one where she could not run back to her parents so easily. In her head Toph tired to find something to say that would get her out of this fix. The guard cut right to the questioning.

"You're acting kind of funny. What are you doing here?"

"Can't you see? I'm inquiring this man about his cabbages. I intend to buy one." The cabbage merchant stood aside and watched this unfold. A voice called out to Toph. The guards turned and saw Katara leaning out from the alley, gesturing and whispering for Toph to hurry up. When Katara saw the guards, she knew something was up. Hiding back in the alley would be too suspicious and the guards would likely apprehend Toph for associating with such a shady character. Instead, Katara strolled out with reluctant feet and confronted the guards.

"Do you know this girl?" The guard pointed to Toph as Katara approached.

"Yes. She's my…uhh…friend. Yeah." Katara was about to say cousin, but quickly decided against it for obvious reasons. Friend was more accurate, yet obscure enough to hide any names.

"And where did you meet this friend?" The guard further interrogated.

"Well, I met her in Goalin-"Toph elbowed her in the side. "What was that for? Toph said nothing, but her gesture implied to the guards that Toph had something to hide. Instead of getting nosier, the guard suddenly got as nice as Toph when trying to sweet-talk the cabbage vendor.

"Did you say Gaoling? Why, you're Toph Bei Fong, aren't you? You're practically a celebrity around here!" Toph was surprised that he discovered who she was. While it was nice to be so reputable, it took her by surprise. She took this moment to flaunt her notoriety. Toph put her hands on her hips and raised her head proudly to the sky. The three guards bowed regally before Toph as a sign of forgiveness that they thought a hooligan of her.

"Why, yes, I am indeed Toph! Of Gaoling!" She said loudly with a voice that drew attention from many nearby bazaar patrons. Katara was getting more and more overwhelmed at the scene her friend was causing.

"What are you doing? This isn't a good idea! We should keep a low profile!"

"Heh! Watch this Katara!" Toph proceeded to climb up on top of the cabbage cart.

"_Spirit-damn it, Toph, get down…" _Katara thought as her friend began to cause a scene which would help them escape unnoticed. Toph cleared her throat before opening it up to shout to the people.

"ATTENTION MARKET PATRONS! THE ONE AND ONLY BLIND BANDIT, TOPH BEI FONG, IS NOW SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS AT THE CABBAGE STAND! COME ONE, COME ALL, AND MEET THE GREATEST EARTH-BENDER OFF THEM ALL!"

Soon, a horde of denizens from all over the area flooded into the cramped market to see Toph. She couldn't see, but she could her many feet approaching, and smirked. The girls were surrounded now by people who were rabid and unruly. They wasted no-time throwing themselves at the cart in order to so much as even touch Toph. This continued until the people piled over each other, desperate to have Toph's signature. They managed to push the cart entirely over in a human wave that raged toward Toph. The cart's owner witnessed in horror his precious cabbages roll randomly along the ground and subsequently were squashed underfoot by the torrent of Toph fans. The cabbage heads made a moist, crunchy pop as they were trampled, and the vendor could only watch.

"M…MY…MY CABBAGES!" The old man cried out to the sky with out-stretched arms. He fell to his knees and sobbed. The crowd swarmed around Toph, leaving the vendor with nothing to look forward to except more strenuous work.

"I don't know what you're doing, but I hope it works…" Katara stood back to back with Toph, attempting to hold back the enthusiastic fans. It seemed like the girls would be crushed just like the cabbages. The crowd nearly had them overrun when Toph Earth-Bended their standing ground upward in a cylinder to keep the fans down below. Toph raised her arms and shouted for the mob's attention. They fell relatively quiet and awaited Toph's every word.

"NOW EVERYONE!" Shouted Toph again, over the clamor of the multitude of people around her. "I SAID I WOULD BE GIVING OUT JOHN HANDCOCKS, BUT I CAN'T WRITE! BECAUSE I'M BLIND, SO I GUESS YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO SETTLE FOR A SCRIBBLE!" Toph then bent chunks of rock out of the column she and Katara were standing on and step-stoned over the crowd on them to escape. They jumped off and dashed away. The people, not wanting to miss out on a chance to get a souvenir from the famous Blind Bandit, ran after. They began shouting excitedly, calling for Toph to come back.

"WHAT IN THE FOUR NATIONS DO WE DO NOW!" Shouted Katara as she ran, her canteen sloshing about wildly. Toph began laughing, almost maniacally, and panted as she ran.

"YOU'LL SEE SUGAR QUEEN! YOU'LL SEE REAL SOON!"


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

The girls continued to run. They were faster than the tumultuous mob chasing them. Once Toph figured they were far enough away, she suddenly yanked Katara aside and hid with her in an alley next to a corner so that when the crowds stampeded by the two girls were skipped over. Katara inched her head out to see if the coast was clear, and it was. The girls tiptoed out into the open and began to retreat to the meet-up spot to see Aang and Sokka. The crowd left behind a considerable mess. Downed food-stand awnings, mangled food, and broken pottery was strewn everywhere. The girls tried to get through it without making too much noise, but Toph, unable to see where she was stepping, put her foot down right onto a perfectly placed piece of broken pottery. It sliced deep into her sole and caused her to cry out in pain. The right field of her "vision" flashed blindingly white and then went completely dark.

The noise made Katara jump around to see why Toph screamed and saw her sitting on the ground and holding a bloody foot. It scared her to hear Toph scream and see the blood. She rushed over to help her up. Much to her horror, a straggler from the crowd heard Toph scream and signaled to the others that Toph was hurt and needed help. Katara had Toph's arm around her neck but could hear the mob returning. They were gaining on her, shambling wildly over all the torn-down stands and falling over each other like before. Katara tried to run faster, but was unable to escape their grabbing hands.

"Get off me! Stop it!" She commanded, but with no avail. Toph screamed from the tortuous pain in her foot as people were handling it and trying to clean it with a rag. She didn't like the feeling of the fabric rubbing against her sole, especially since it was cut. Just when things seemed hopeless, a great gust of wind came over Katara and Toph that propelled the mob backwards and threw them into the wreckage. The girls shambled to their feet and turned around to see Aang waving his staff combatively with Sokka standing nearby, boomerang at the ready. They had come to save them! Katara was elated, and hopped with Toph over to the guys. She embraced Aang, thanking him for the help.

"I thought we were goners! Thanks so much for coming!" Katara told Aang and explained that Toph had cut her foot. When he learned that they had tried to thieve the cabbage vendor, he was shocked and ashamed. Aang expected better from his peers. Toph stood one foot with some of her weight on Katara's arm, trying not to cry from the pain. She had to show the others that she was strong and that a little flesh wound was no big deal. Sokka went over to Toph and lifted her up in his arms with her legs hanging limply over one side and her upper body resting against the other arm. Then they all four retreated to the aforementioned meet-up spot. Quite a stir had been caused here, and the gang had just disappeared into the cities' alleyways when more guards arrived. They were undoubtedly looking for them.

Once at the spot, they were in a new area of the city, and no-one would not be suspicious of them nor would they know what they had just done. Now able to rest, Aang scolded Katara for her stealing, while she uselessly tried to justify it. Aang would not buy her story, no matter how much she pedaled it. Meanwhile, Sokka set Toph down on a carved stone bench and tried to touch her foot, but she swatted it away.

"OW! Hey, what gives? I'm just trying to help!"

"Sorry Sokka, but I HATE having my feet touched. The feeling to me is like torture. The oils in peoples' fingers clog up my pores too and make everything all blurry for a while, until I sweat it out. So when people touch me, they not only hurt me, but they make me blinder than I already am. Please forgive me." In reality, Toph desperately wanted someone to care for her right now. Normally, in the extremely rare event that she hurt herself back home in Gaoling, the estate guards would hear her cries and rush to her assistance to give her all the help they could. Toph thought about this current hardship, realizing that she could no longer depend on her guardians to help her. She had to be more independent. It was what she always wanted though, right? Independence? Seeing the world? Getting out and traveling to exotic lands and locales? Well, here those things were. Too bad they didn't seem as enticing as they did while Toph lay in luxury at her Gaoling Palace. She had no idea of the outside world, and this was a rude awakening.

"No prob. I get it. It's just a pet peeve. I've got them, everybody does."

"I don't think you do get it. I know you're just trying to help me and make me feel better, but it's really hard to get by without eyes. Yes, I can get by in day-to-day life okay, but I wish I didn't bump into things or give people the impression that I'm stupid. Do you know what it feels like when people talk behind your back and snicker in their hands at you? I often feel their vibrations and it seems they have something to say to me. I wish they would grow up and tell me whatever it is that's on their mind instead of flirting around it. Sometimes, it seems like they pick on me for being this way, and that hurts. I think they're just insecure children." Toph's words began sound sadder as she confessed her feelings to Sokka. He suddenly felt very bad for yelling at Toph before.

"Don't pay any mind to them. They probably are insecure. Something got them ALL bent out of shape, something really silly probably, so they find someone wea-I mean targetable, and harangue them to let out their frustrations. There the weak ones, not you." Never forget that. And definitely don't ever let them get you down. Sokka reached out and touched Toph's hand to comfort her. Toph overturned her hand and enclosed Sokka's fingers with her own. She looked in his direction and smiled.

"Do you really think that?" She asked.

"I do. I really do! After all…" Sokka stood up. "Do you really think those high-class paint-faces could whoop up on those guys from the Earth Rumble as hard as you did?" Sokka performed an interpretive dance of Toph's attacks and moves from her fight in the ring, throwing his arms around and making crashing noises as his "rocks" hit their targets. His act made Toph laugh. She sighed, recalling the pain in her foot. Sokka's seriousness returned as soon as it had departed.

"Despite how it hurts, we need to heal that wound. It could get infected, especially since you walk barefoot. It could be as easy as walking into a store, but after that fiasco you and Katara pulled, every guard in the city will be looking for us." Toph's cheeks reddened in embarrassment and guilt. Sokka walked to and fro, pondering on how to go about procuring a solution to this situation. He stopped and grinned. A great idea had just come to him

"Wait right here, Toph." Sokka said with a leer. "I'll be right back…" Toph sat silent, confused about what Sokka had in store. From his heart-beat, it apparently would be something worth seeing. She called to Katara who had given up on Aang and was walking over to check on Toph's foot.

"Where's Sokka?" She asked. Toph shrugged her arms up and shook her head. "Great, now he's up to something. Why didn't he tell us?" Katara's persistence implied to Toph that more than a silent gesture was needed to quell her questions.

"All I know is that he had a really good idea and would be right back."I hope it's not stealing…" Toph had had enough illegal activities and excitement for one day. It had cost her foot, and that was enough to deter her from any further escapades. Katara was thinking about these words. They were somewhat hypocritical, considering the charade against the cabbage vendor was originally Toph's idea. To Katara's misfortune, those thoughts manifested themselves as words, which she instantly regretting saying.

"OH! OKAY! I get it now! The blind girl with the sliced-in-half foot is the hypocrite. That sure makes a lot of sense! PAH!" Toph said sarcastically and threw her arms up in Katara's face in frustration. This made Katara even angrier. She lost control of her temper and shoved Toph's arms down.

"You were just saying you were strong and independent enough to take such words! Were you lying!" Katara was in Toph's face now, shouting louder than her. Toph's cyan eyes became furious and she stood up, forgetting her cut momentarily. She cried out and quickly sat back down and held her foot, caked with dust. Her anger turned to hurt and she looked up at Katara with a face that seemed to say "help me."

Katara worried about the wound worsening from the dirt, but was still mad at Toph, creating a conflicting emotional cocktail. She thought about what Aang had told her during their argument: "Always treat people with the utmost kindness, even if they are unkind to you." It took her a while to wrap her head around this concept. To her, it meant being kind to the people who killed her mother and attacked her tribe. Did they deserve kindness for the unkind things they did to her? Katara didn't think so. It didn't make much sense to her, but she thought she'd try it now with Toph. After all, Toph was very needy of some kindness right now.

"Toph…listen. I'm sorry. I just lost my cool, that's all. We just need to chill for a whi-" Toph cut in mid-sentence, more irate than ever. By now, bystanders and passer-by were glaring at the unfolding scene, of which Toph was making bigger and bigger.

"CHILL! I need to chill? I think you do, Miss yells-at-the-blind-girl!" Toph shouted loudly. She was so mad she felt like hitting Katara, but decided to simply ignore her.

"_Damn it Toph…just calm the hell down…" _thought Katara. The Earth-Bender was being really stubborn, not even open to receiving advice to calm down. It was no use, it couldn't be helped. Katara sighed and crossed her arms and walked away to let Toph's temperature go down. Upon turning around to consult Aang, she noticed a figure standing some distance away, wearing vibrant, red clothes. She glanced up at the curious character, which looked like someone from the Fire Nation. He had a flowing brown beard, a long, pointy mustache and an ornate hair-piece.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS MADDNESS?" Bellowed the gruff voice from afar. It sounded like Sokka, but with accented manliness. Upon coming closer, Katara saw that it was Sokka, but he was dressed like a Fire Nation citizen, with a piece of brown fabric to act as a beard to disguise his age. Katara didn't know what to think of her brother's new get-up, and really didn't know what he planned to do with it.

"Mind telling me what you are wearing?" Katara said with a hand to her mouth to stifle laughter at Sokka's odd appearance. His disguise was so accurate that Aang nearly that Sokka was a Fire Nation spy.

"Perhaps you laugh because it would be impossible for a pleb of your stature to devise such a clever ruse as the one we must soon undertake." Sokka stopped and stood dramatically, stoking his faux facial hair. "As it would be lunacy to mock the great Wang Fire!"


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR **

"Wang…Fire…?" Katara raised an eyebrow in question.

"I know! Stupendous name, right? I thought it would match my Fire Nation get-up! Speaking of which, I rummaged together a set of fiery fibers for you as well, my dear!" Sokka lowered his body to the side to let a maroon-colored duffel bag slide of his shoulder.

"You must implement them if you want to administer the proper medicinal resources to Toph's injured regions and achieve maximum healing potential." Sokka talked as if he were some kind of professional. A doctor or politician, perhaps. Katara didn't exactly know where Sokka was coming from, but she did agree on needing to get something to help Toph's foot.

"I'm guessing we are to dress up like Fire-Nationalists?" Katara asked. Sokka raised a finger positively.

"AH-HA!" He piped. "That is correct, love! I believe it necessary to disguise our appearance when we -" Katara put a finger to her lips, telling Sokka to shut it. From the look of seriousness on Katara's face, Sokka became Sokka again and dropped the Wang Fire act momentarily. He pulled down his beard and asked Katara more closely to ask why he wasn't allowed to talk.

"Don't blow our cover, Sokka!" Katara whispered loudly and led Sokka back to where Toph and Aang were sitting. "You're always so…damning."

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"It's not effective to talk about disguising one's appearance in front of eavesdroppers…" Katara snapped her head around and shot a menacing look at the scattered people looking at the extravagantly-dressed Sokka. Upon getting spotted, they looked elsewhere and continued walking on their way. Sokka got out of Katara's grasp.

"Okay, you're right. Basically I want to-" Sokka was silenced again, this time Katara put her whole hand over his mouth. He muffled "What now?" and Katara removed her hand.

"Don't talk. Just do. Let's put into action your play, hopefully it won't be too insane, and that way no-one will get onto us."

"EXCELLENT PLAN, MY DEAR SAPPHIRE FIRE! LET US…" Sokka, now Wang Fire again, nodded his head in agreement and snapped his beard back onto his face. He stopped when Katara summoned that raised eyebrow up again.

"Erm, right…" He said in his normal voice, scratching his head. "Um, okay. Aang, could you wait here with Toph? Katara and I need to go this alone. She shouldn't' try to walk anyway." Aang glanced at Toph. She had no objections and implied she wasn't going anywhere by crossing her arms. Toph consented to staying put and said she wanted nothing more than to have her foot healed up as soon as possible. Katara picked up the bag of clothes and went off with Sokka behind some buildings to change.

"By the way…" Said Katara.

"Yes?"

"Sapphire Fire?" She questioned while slipping into the fancy red outfit. The two were behind a residential building in an alley, free from spying eyes and able to go over the plan which Sokka had in mind. She would not like it, but there was likely no other way. Katara liked her new clothes. They were considerably cooler than her Water-Tribe robe, although it was a bit unsettling wearing Fire-Nation clothes. It was the same cultural garb worn by the people who sacked her tribe and brought all this pain to her in the first place. She quickly disposed these troubling thoughts from mind and buckled on some leather sandals, slipped on some jewelry and did up her hair in a manner similar to Sokka's.

"Ingenious name, huh? I thought it up when I devised Wang Fire, my manly alter ego. We are to be a couple of Fire-Nation descent, so no-one will be suspicious of us.

"I guess that's what this pillow is for…" Said Katara as she stroked her artificially pregnant belly. "Your wife? That's a little odd, considering we're related, don't you think?"

"Not really. I mean, it's just for show. We need to do it to help Toph, and we will help her by getting beer to purify her foot with."

"Beer, huh?" Katara beamed. "Can we drink it afterwards?"

"I don't see why not. But don't forget why we're doing this in the first place: to help Toph. After we run some over her foot, we can drink it, sure."

"I haven't had alcohol since we left home. I almost forget how it tastes…" Day-dreamed Katara as she stuffed wads of cotton in her brassiere to complete her "mature" look. Sokka asked if she was ready, and she responded with a nod.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE **

The incognito Fire-Benders walked out of the alleyways into another open-air market, similar to the one she and Toph explored earlier. Upon coming out from behind the buildings, many nearby people made that curious expression again, to which the two scowled at and ignored while walking to a nearby cantina. They tried to put on a mundane front, but Katara felt like everyone already knew their secret. The people started at this odd couple, especially Katara's pseudo-pregnant waddle, which looked more like she had to use the "facilities." Upon pushing back the door-curtain and entering the store, Sokka and Katara felt more at ease, now that they were out of sight of the general public. There were a few patrons already looking at them, but not as deviously as those outside. Some of them, inebriated and intoxicated, paid no mind to the Fire-Nation man and wife. Attempting to remain as ordinary as possible Sokka pointed Katara toward one side of the store to look for the beer while he searched the other half.

Sokka had never been in this store (let alone this city) so it took him a while to locate the beer. He felt out of place, as he not only knew someone might suspect his disguise, but he was also not of the legal age to purchase beer. He would not be able to buy it without inventing this absurd "Wang Fire" persona. This whole operation hinged on his costume convincing the store-clerk that he was indeed old enough, or else they would resort to stealing again. And Katara was in no hurry to do that again.

There was quite a selection of alcohol available. It took some narrowing down to determine which kind to get. Sokka knew the reason for wanting to pour beer on Toph's wound was that the alcohol would kill any bacteria and prevent infection. It crossed Sokka's mind that it may be a good idea to get something "harder" than beer, because the higher alcohol content would be more effective in neutralizing germs. He ultimately passed up the beer and decided on a large bottle of Fire-Nation whiskey. Sokka picked up the bottle and walked toward where Katara was standing.

"I've got what we need. Lets' get it and leave before we draw any more attention." Sokka said in a whisper. Katara and he then approached the counter nervously. The clerk looked up from an accounting book and glared at them almost as if he knew their ploy.

He rose and asked "Is that all?" Sokka looked at his sister, somewhat hesitant about using his Wang Fire voice. The look in her eyes seemed unsure, but they seemed to imply that act wasn't really necessary. Nevertheless, Sokka cleared his throat and responded to the cashier.

"Why yes, good Hot-Man! We've all that we desire!" The cashier gave Sokka a perplexed look.

"Hot-Man?" He said. Sokka felt his stomach drop. The clerk was onto him! "I haven't heard that line of etiquette in some time! Only the old guys use it. It's not so common anymore, with the kids these days." The cashier turned from wary to welcoming. Sokka's relief flooded back into him. He now spoke with even more gusto.

"Oh yes! I've been around the block a while. After all, my "wife" and I have been together for nearly two decades!" The shopkeeper seemed surprised.

"Well, congratulations! I see you have a child on the way!" He said and pointed to Katara's belly. "What's his name?" Katara swallowed, having not imagined a name. She quickly came up with a story to keep her cover.

"We haven't decided on a name yet…" She said to buy some thinking time. "..But I'm thinking…Pengsong. Yeah, that sounds about right! Because he will be so fluffy and soft!" Katara rubbed her stomach, falsely acknowledging her baby.

"That will be a great name for any child! Katara bowed her head and thanked him for the compliment. It was good that he was a nice guy, or Sokka and Katara would feel less welcomed and thus act out of character enough that they might be discovered. This was not the case though. Their plan was going swimmingly. "Well, if the whiskey is all, that will be 25 gold pieces." Sokka rummaged around in a leather pouch on his belt for the money. He dropped the clinking coins onto the wooden counter and the shop-keeper shoveled them into a box of the days' profits.

"Have a nice day!" he said. "And come back soon!" Sokka and Katara hastily turned to leave. Once outside, they sighed and let themselves breathe again.

"Well, that went surprisingly better than usual." Said Katara. "I wondered if he was going to say something about my baby. The pillow was slipping and I had to make some kind of story up! I feel guilty for lying, though."

"No worries, dear!" Sokka, now Wang Fire again, looked at the bottle of booze and shook it around. "We did what we had to. For Toph. Speaking of which, let's hurry back to her. We shan't be of any effectiveness whilst milling about, yes?" Wang Fire stroked his faux facial hair and lidded his eyes into a suave, sophisticated expression. Katara sighed again.

"Quit that." She scolded. "Come on, let's go get Toph and Aang." Katara tugged at Sokka's shirt to motivate him along.

"VERY WELL, MY LOVELY SAPPHIRE! LET US SALLY FORTH!" This made Katara groaned a third time.

"By the way, where did you get these clothes?" She asked. Sokka stopped. He had hoped she wouldn't ask that question as he would not like admitting to her that he stole them from a laundry line. Now put on the spot, Sokka had no choice but to confess to his crimes. Anxiously, he began talking.

"Well, Katara, you see, it was not like I could spend the money on buying them. I had to conserve it for the beer. Or, whiskey, I guess. I had no choice…" He hesitated, preparing himself for an ass-chewing. "But to steal them." Katara took on an angry face, although it looked more like disappointment to Sokka.

"I'm ashamed of you. It's not right to take things from people without their permission! That's stealing!" She crossed her arms, her usual method of conveying dissatisfaction.

"Like I said, I had no choice. I was forced to do it!" Sokka pleaded his innocence. It wasn't really him to blame. He wanted to help Toph as quickly as possible, and that required throwing together a disguise at the expense of a couple of Fire-Benders. After all, it wasn't like the Fire-Nation was fond of thievery, especially of other countries and peoples. They had it coming. The least Sokka could do was bungle some clothes to piss of someone.

"Oh really! Forced to do something? That's horrible, isn't it? At least we aren't forced to walk around in the nude like those homeless people over there!"

"Nude people? What are you talking about?" Sokka, confused, looked in the direction of Katara's pointing figure to see a man and woman covering themselves with blankets. Guiding them was a small collection of guards. The couple had a violated air about them, as if some unjust transgression had been enacted against them. The fact that they were shamefully naked in public did not help.

"They look angry." He said. "And I think I know why…" The guards' astute faces looked grim and dutiful. They kept hold of the pair as if to help clothe them. Almost as if fate, Sokka and Katara had come out of the store just as the man and woman were waking by. They were spotted immediately, regardless of trying to hide. The woman had glanced in their direction and instantly recognized her mahogany-colored blouse. Disregarding her shroud, she threw a finger toward Sokka and Katara, shouting "There! That's my dress! I know it! They took it!" as she became totally nude. Locals were taken aback by the spontaneity of this outburst, and focused on the riled woman just in time to see her try to cover up. Her face turned about as red as the clothes she wanted back.

The man took control of the situation and sent the guards to seize the thread thieves. Katara acted defensively and gyrated her arms to bend the whiskey at the guards. The cork popped off at an alarming speed as the dark-brown liquid jetted out. Katara used it to her advantage by poking a guard right in the eye with it by bending the whiskey it had absorbed and turning the cork into a spongy porous projectile. His head went back and he began wailing. She stopped to cope with the pain by kneeling over, which tripped up the guards behind him. Many amazed people standing about stopped to watch this impressive display of not Fire-Bending. Katara bent the guards' feet, now wet with whiskey, to throw them back by the soles of their shoes.

"What's going on! " A bystander's voice asked. "Those Fire-Benders can bend water!"

"I don't think they're Fire-Benders at all!" A second voice piped. "They're spies! Hooligans! Bandits!" Katara and Sokka ran by these people and escaped by ducking back through the alleys that which they came by. The guards had collected themselves and were on the pursuit. They trailed Katara and Sokka right back to Aang and Toph. Aang got up, startled by their sudden materialization from around the corner.

"WE GOT THE WHISKEY! NOW LET'S GO!" Shouted Sokka with his imitation beard loosely hanging around his neck. He and his sister didn't stop running. Toph looked at Aang for an answer with an unsure expression in her face. Aang almost asked what was going on, but by now he was used to having to run blindly away from situations, especially if Sokka has been in charge of it. With a swoop, he yanked Toph by the armpits off the bench and started to run with Sokka and Katara.

"HEY TWINKLE-TOES! WHAT'S GOING ON? PUT ME DOWN!" She demanded while rapping her fists on his back.

"STOP IT! IT HURTS! THERE'S NO-TIME TO EXPLAIN! WE HAVE TO GO NOW!" Aang tried to answer her, but he too was clueless and had better keep running. He heard the clanking armor of the guards fast approaching. He turned to confront them. While still running backwards, he hoisted Toph over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes (forcing her breath out with a wheezy "OOF!") and shoved the guards back with a gust of powerful air. They were swept up easily into the air and placed atop a building to put some distance between them. He turned and kept after his friends.

Only the guards at the gate stood between the gang and escape, although they seemed unmotivated to try and stop them. They seemed to know they wouldn't stand a chance against a group of skilled benders. They were even more surprised that an Air-Bender still existed. They almost felt compelled to let him pass, out of some warrant of letting his race continue. Indeed, the guards actually put their long spears down and retreated into adjacent turrets in the city wall. Aang was suspiciously humbled by this. Nevertheless, it made escape from the city a lot easier.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX **

Once a ways outside, the gang stopped to catch their breath in a nearby valley which edged on a small forested area. This would provide a good hiding spot from spies or guards. Aang let an exhausted and winded Toph slide onto the ground. He hurried back to the rift and peered at the profile of the city. No guards had come after them, nor any scouting parties or archers on the walls. It was like they LET them go. While one may think this is a good sign, to the ever-alert Aang, it meant even bigger trouble was brewing. He slunk back into the trench and walked over to the tired Toph.

"What is with you…" She spoke weakly, trying to sound angry. In reality, she was almost unable to breathe. Aang wished he had been gentler, as he felt bad for hurting Toph. He didn't mean to, of course, but there was no time to think or set her down gently lest the guards nab them. He apologized to Toph, and she took it with a grain of salt.

"How is everyone?" Said Katara, meaning Toph to be exact. Aang looked at Toph then at her foot. Her sole was as dirty as usual but could also see specks of dirt within the wound, and that was not good. Aang felt a sense of hopelessness, for whatever reason. He felt like they had been done in already. Perhaps it was just his perception that this whole ordeal could have gone a little more smoothly. He stood and turned to Sokka and Katara.

"You and Sokka were reckless." He lectured, trying to sound angry yet meaningful. For some time now he had been trying to tell his friends, especially Sokka, that a plan was the quickest route to success; that only fools rushed in. The water-benders looked down at the ground in shame, allowing the words to sink in.

"Foot. Cut. Heal. NOW…" complained Toph from the ground with her arms displeasingly crossed. Aang turned to her and saw a frustrated face.

"We need to get back on the trail after we help Toph." His words sounded worried and concerned. "We need to make up the lost time. Each second we waste is a second the Fire Nation makes up for us. And we don't want them making time."

Aang removed a satchel off his pack and dumped Sokka's and Katara's clothes out. "Change back into these." He commanded. "People will recognize even your Fire-Nation outfits now." They picked up their clothes and switched into them.

Katara pulled her long brown hair back to get it out of her blue robe. She adjusted her mother's neck-lace with a degree of melancholy. Up there somewhere, with the Great Spirit, was Kya, looking down on all of them and at her two children. Kya always was there for her as a baby and growing up. When they were broken apart by the unstoppable tirade of Fire-Nation imperialism which was consuming the whole world like a deadly plague, the last thing her mother told Katara was to never turn her back on the people who needed her. Those words had stuck to her soul all these years. She never forgot them, and when she played them over in her head, she could almost remember the sound of her mother's voice. The Fire-Nation threatened world had a lot of people who could benefit from such philosophy. Katara wondered how everything could ever be peaceful and fair again. She sniffed back tears and turned her mind from useless worrying to the situation at hand: Toph's foot. If nothing else, she could keep from turning her back on her friends. Katara walked over to the pouty Earth-Bender and knelt down.

"I'm going to wash out your foot now. Sokka and I got some whiskey, and I'm gonna make you ALL better!" She produced the 3/4th of whiskey still left in the clear and slender glass bottle. Some of it sloshed out when running out of the city. There was still plenty to run over Toph's foot. Toph's acute nose, made strong from compensating for lack of eye-sight, crinkled at the sweet ethanol smell of the whiskey. She scooted back from Katara, not sure she wanted such a weird smelling liquid coming in contact with her injured foot.

"I don't want anything to do with that!" She prissed. Katara tried explaining to her that this was the only way to avoid the wound getting worse, but Toph was ever persistent. Left with no other option, she used her bending to surprise-attack Toph and shot a "ball" of whiskey at her sole. It made a splash and got deep into the wound. Toph felt her sole inflame from the alcohol, and screamed in pain. It burned her already sensitive foot terribly. It continued to sting for some time, but it killed the germs. Toph groaned and cursed Katara through tightly-clenched teeth all the while. She held her foot and rocked back and forth, banging her fists on the ground which spawned little shaking tremors in the rocky ground. Pebbles danced lighly in response to the mini-quakes. When the sensation subsided, she promptly Earth-Bent a cautionary rock past Katara's body. The girl watched it fly by and impact with the rocky wall of the valley. She looked bitterly down at Toph.

"I had to do that, you know…" She felt bad for causing Toph pain. But it couldn't be helped, Toph developing an infection in her foot and losing her Earth-Bending abilities was simply not an option. Toph sat up and looked up at Katara the Medic. She almost harangued Katara for hurting her, but instead thanked her sarcastically.

"Someday…" Katara started. "You'll understand why I had to do that to you. I didn't mean to hurt you, but had I not done anything your whole foot could've been lost." Toph believed these words too, as she could sense a vibe of honesty radiating from Katara's pulse. She suddenly didn't feel so downtrodden after all. The thought of losing her foot horrified her. Because of this, Toph consented to Katara applying some salve to seal the wound up from further dirtiness and padding it with a wad of cotton then wrapping it loosely with a torn strip from her "borrowed" Fire-Nation shirt. In a gesture to help her walk (and to keep the whole deal together), she fastened a crude leather sandal out of some Komodo-Rhino hide and lace of the same material.

This was a special, albeit less-than-cheerful, moment for Toph. This was the first time in her life that she had worn any sort of footwear at all. A shoe was like taking a literal step into a new world. Toph wriggled her toes in the shoe and felt the buttery leather caress her rough skin. She didn't like it, of course, because she couldn't "see" or even Earth-Bend as well. She operated at half of her abilities, as one of two feet was out of commission. To complete the procedure, Katara picked up the fortified foot in her hand and pecked Toph's big toe with a light kiss.

"All better!" She said, taking pride in her neat healing handiwork. Toph pulled her foot away, embarrassed by this slightly too-friendly act. This did not mean that she didn't like the attention. Katara helped Toph get up and let her stand on her shoulder.

"Well, it's hard to see as is, with this cast blocking my foot from touching the ground, and all." Toph felt in good hands with Katara. She always did. With the medical job out of the way, the gang continued on their quest into the nearby wood.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN **

The horn-crickets chirped with vigor as the sun slowly set. A sheet of darkness was cast over the four nations. A cool, late-night breeze blew over the gang's campsite and made the canvas of their tents flap lightly. A fire in the center crackled intensely and provided a source of light in the young night. It illuminated shadows that occupied the tents. In the "guys" tent, Sokka and Aang traded stories of their childhood, often with a sour or suggestive crack or two thrown in. Aang's stories were infinitely for interesting as he recalled his past lives of the Avatar, and all the world-saving things he did. In the girl's tent, there was also something interesting was going on.

Katara told Sokka and Aang she wouldn't do it, but she had a secret with Toph. They were sharing the remaining whiskey together. It seemed right to Katara to introduce this adult pastime to Toph. After all, Toph often said she was dying to see what the average person did. Katara wanted to show her more of the world that lay beyond her now distant Gaoling walls. Although Toph choked on the alcohol-rich liquor, she found the stout taste to her liking. It made her feel grown-up. Wild. Untamed. Free. The two girls also shared stories, opinions, and thoughts about a vast number of subjects. As much of it was about "girly" things as the conversation being carried on in the adjacent tent was about "boyish" things. They talked for some time, close to an hour. By this time, Toph had drunk nearly a quarter of the bottle, and was more than a quite drunk.

"D'aaawww, you're my BESTEST friend in the whole wide world, Katara. I don't give a sky-bison's ASS what the Fire Nation says. Water Benders are A.O. freakin' K. in my book!" Toph said to Katara with whiskey-fueled enthusiasm. She was very tipsy on the drink, not like it took much to intoxicate her alcohol-intolerant 12-year old body in the first place. Katara loved to listen to Toph talk, especially with a humorous drunken slur. She found her personality more likable, but wondered what it meant about her friendship with the little Earth-Bender if she liked Toph only after she became tanked. This wasn't true, of course not. Toph had just been short of sleep and food earlier in the day, making her very grumpy. Otherwise she was much better. After alcohol, even better than that. Toph's eyes were glassed and she wobbled back and forth on the chair. Katara could smell the whiskey on her sweet breath, and decided Toph had had enough.

"Perhaps you've had enough. I don't want you to get too drunk. You'll need your wits about you tomorrow when we depart for the swamp." Katara began to worry and took the clay tankard out of Toph's hands. Toph grasped for it, not ready to stop drinking.

"Hey, hey hey HEY! Katara! I would like some more please, if that'sss okay with you!" Toph stood up and lurched for the whiskey which she liked so much. When Toph fell forward into Katara's lap, it caused the whiskey to spill out onto Toph's rosy-red face. The two girls locked eyes (Toph more or less looked up into space) awkwardly. Katara bent the liquid off Toph's face and back into the bottle. Toph's antics reminded Katara of when Sokka had drunk cactus juice, unaware of its psychoactive properties.

"See? You're so tipsy you can't even get up without falling down! Anymore, and you may hurt yourself. I don't want that to happen."

"Wha…what's the big damn deal! Yer startin' to ssssound like my *hic!* mom! All preachy and stuff!" Katara took offense to Toph's suddenly hostile behavior. At least she _HAD_ a mother. She scowled at Toph.

"If that's how you take my advice, maybe you should just go to sleep. You're tired, grumpy, and need to get up early in the morning."

I'm not tired at all! Look!" Toph scrambled to her bare feet, but fell again. This time, her butt connected hard with the rocky ground, knocking her breath out.

"OOF!" She grunted.

"What did I say? You're very drunk, and can't even walk. You need rest. NOW." Said Katara in a stern voice as she stood up and crossed her arms with the previous scowl. Toph rose, slowly, to her feet, rubbing her sore bottom. She could sense Katara's frustration through the ground, despite being loaded.

"Okay _MOM_. Since you insist, I'm gonna go sleep in my bed. My ass hurts and my head does too." Toph began to exit the tent through the door-flap but stopped halfway. "Ummm…where's my bed?" A smile crept across Katara's lips as she came to Toph's assistance.

"It's over here." She led Toph by the arm to her little rock house. Toph nearly lost her balance multiple times on the way to her quarters; Katara practically had to drag her. "Okay. Here we are. It's right in front of you." She let go of Toph's arm.

"Okay. I'll just crawl in, stretch really good, and catch some Z's!" Toph kneeled down (fell over) and entered the hut.

"You just crawl right on in, Toph." The blind girl shambled around to make herself more comfortable. She stripped off her clothes and packed them into her green travel bag, let her hair down, and emitted a long groan as she stretched out her arms and legs. A few joints and tendons popped audibly. Katara could just make out the outline of Toph's bare body in the moonlight. She felt somewhat embarrassed, but since they were both girls it really wasn't a big deal. Toph would usually be more…"conservative"…with her nudeness around others, but while intoxicated she really didn't care. "Are you good?" Katara asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for helpin' me out. Hope I didn't hurt your feelings."

"No prob, and no, you didn't hurt my feelings either. You're just tired and need some sleep. If you need anything-anything at all, please, don't hesitate to wake me up, okay? Good night Toffee."

"Nighty-night…sugar queen…" Toph said as she closed her eyes and pulled a green silk blanket over her body. She easily fell into a deep sleep, made deeper and easier by the alcohol. Toph should've heeded Katara's warnings about binging. Later that night, her drunken stupor would lessen her mental competence and allow a nightmare to visit her, the first one in a long time.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT **

Katara was stirred gently out of her sleep by what sounded like the lowing of some kind of creature. She arose with a daze and sat up in the dark canvas tent and listened closely to the sound. It couldn't be an animal, as there was little life out here, save the Horn-Crickets, and they too seemed to be slumbering. Still confused on the noises' source, she undid the door-flap and cautiously poked her head out into the dark night. Her eyes took a bit to get used to the dark as the fire was all but smoldering. A short distance from her tent, Katara noticed Toph's feet moving in what seemed to be an effort to escape from something. The feet kicked more violently as the moaning became louder. Realizing Toph may be in trouble Katara stumbled out and raced to her.

Upon reaching the entrance to Toph's earthen lean-to, Katara was relieved to see the young Earth-Bender alone. Toph was trashing about sub-consciously in her sleep, pulling on her green blanket. It was clear that she was suffering from a nightmare, and from the intensity of her movements, a pretty bad one. Katara crawled in to wake Toph from the unpleasant dream.

"Toph…Toph…"Said Katara while gently pushing on Toph's shoulders. There was no response. Her mouth seemed to be forming words, but only groans came out. Toph's eyelids were fluttering rapidly; a sign Katara had seen before in Sokka when he would have nightmares. She now was sure of what Toph was suffering from. Katara more vigorously tried to shake her awake.

"Please Toph, wake up! It's okay! You're scaring me! I-"Just then, perhaps the mentioning of the word scary, Toph snapped bolt upright in her bedroll and let out a blood-curdling scream for her mother. Katara was startled and fell back toward the door, her heart pounding in shock.

"TOPH!" She shouted. "IT'S OKAY! I'M HERE! IT'S OKAY NOW! I'M HERE NOW!" Katara held the frightened girl close and tried to comfort her, shaking her harder than ever. Toph's cries, albeit loud enough to make Katara's ears ring, ended as soon as they began. Almost as if nothing had even happened, Toph lay peacefully back down and pulled her green blanket back over her. Before Katara was able to think about what just happened, Toph was snoring in deep sleep. A new sound of rapid footsteps was Katara's next perceived sound.

"What the hell was that?" Said Sokka brandishing his boomerang. "Are you okay?" Sokka's voice sounded terrified and concerned.

"I…I don't know. She was having a nightmare, with the moaning and tossing, but then she jolted up and…screamed…" Katara informed her friends with cluelessness. She really didn't know what had possessed Toph to do that.

"That sounds like a really bad dream." Said Aang.

"Well, she seems to be okay now. I guess we should just let her sleep." Katara looked back at Toph, her chest rising and falling softly, peacefully.

"What if she does it again?" Sokka said.

"I told her she could come sleep with me if she needed. She was quite drunk by the time she went to bed. I think that's why she had a nightmare."

Sokka was disappointed with Katara. It wasn't wise for her to allow Toph to imbibe so heavily. He confronted Katara on why she was so careless. She rebuked.

"I wanted to show Toph a good time. You remember how badly she wanted to get away from home and have fun in the real world?" Sokka nodded and agreed.

"Well, lots of people drink alcohol, especially in the Earth Kingdom. My thought was that it would be good to introduce her to the common Earth pastime of her people. I know I let her drink too much, but I made up for it by being there for her and offering to help her. I won't let her get that drunk again, I promise. I care for Toph and want the best for her. I really do. " Katara explained her actions to Sokka and Aang. They seemed to understand, and trusted Katara to live up to her words. They were all tired, and wished to return to bed.

"Alright then. We're gonna hit the sack."Sokka rubbed his eyes and turned around and got back inside the tent.

"You'll take good care of Toph, okay? I need her to teach me Earth-bending." Aang said as Katara got out of the rock hut and rose to her feet.

"Of course I will. I really do want her to be happy and healthy. I won't ever let her drink like that again. Okay Aang?"

"I understand. I'm going back to bed. I'll see you in the morning." Katara moved forward and hugged Aang.

"Good-night, Aang. Sleep tight." She gripped Aang's arrowed back. It felt warm. Aang hugged her in return.

"Thank you, Katara. Good-night too."

They broke their union and retreated to their respective tents. Katara turned back to look at Aang. She sighed, wondering what lay ahead for him, the Avatar. "_It must be something to have the whole world depending on you…" _Thought Katara as she ducked down and entered the flap leading into her tent. "All who I have to look out for right now is Toph." She said aloud to herself half-jokingly, trying to lighten her swaying emotions. Her head was full of thought as she laid it down on her pillow and looked up at the dark roof of the tent. She adjusted her furry quilt over her body and turned over. Soon, she was fast asleep, as deep as Toph before the nightmare.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

"Psssttt…Katara…hey…" A voice called out from the tent's door. It took a bit for Katara to awaken from her sound slumber. She looked up and saw a pair of sleepy cyan eyes peering at her from the night.

"Toph…is that you…" She said sleepily. The eyes entered the tent. Katara could now see the face they belonged to, and it was indeed Toph.

"It's me…I had a really scary dream. I don't even want to talk of it. I was wondering…can I sleep in your tent tonight? I…well…I want someone to wake me up if it happens again." Katara was a bit annoyed at being disturbed, but she promised Toph she'd help her, and intended to keep her promise.

"Of course you can come in. I'll comfort you." Toph crouched and walked in, holding her green blanket loosely around her torso. She had a hand on her head like it was giving her problems, which it was.

"My head really, really hurts, Katara. I'm scared." Toph said as she lay down next to Katara.

"I'm not surprised. Too much alcohol will do that to, especially your first time." Katara wrapped her arm around Toph's chest to hold her close from the nightmares. She was surprised to find that the chest was without clothing, as evidenced by her hand brushing over a petite nipple, made erect from the cold night air. Toph didn't bother getting dressed because she was so scared and wanted to get help. Katara heard a tiny sniffling noise. Was Toph crying? That didn't seem like Toph at all. That nightmare must have been truly horrifying to make her cry. Katara wondered what it possibly could have been about.

The top of Toph's head came about to Katara's chin, thus Katara could smell Toph's hair. It was somewhat oily and earthy smelling due to Toph's preference to be unwashed. The oil, Toph said once, helped hold her hair in the fancy bun that she often wore, and it did. Despite its odors, Katara liked the aroma of Toph's mane. It was a scent unique of Toph, one that made her think of Toph. It made Katara feel calm and accompanied. She stroked the smooth skin of Toph's upper arm lovingly, trying to soothe her out of the jittered state. The sniffling eventually subsided. In the darkness, Toph's hand touched Katara's. She held it tightly with needy fingers.

"Katara…" Toph asked meekly.

"Yes?"

"Could you sing me to sleep?"

"You want me to sing to you?"

"Yes please." Said Toph in a quiet, polite voice.

"Okay. I'll sing you the song of my people, the Southern Water-Tribe. When I was little, my mother used to sing lullabies to me to get me to sleep. How does that sound?"

"Please sing to me, Katara." Toph gripped her hand even harder, almost painfully. "I'm scared."

"Alright…" Katara confided and kissed Toph's nape gingerly.

She cleared her throat and swallowed. Kya had sung many songs to Katara before the Fire Nation murdered her. Which one should she pick? A song soon came to mind. Katara then lulled Toph to sleep with a traditional Southern Water-Tribe song. Toph had not felt comfort like this since she ran away from het sheltered home-life. She loved Katara's singing, even if her singing voice was far from lovely. It sounded motherly and it calmed Toph into sleeping.

_Oh my little water-bender,_

_Oh my little love._

_How so very small you are,_

_In such a great big world. _

_So much light that you give off,_

_Embraced in a hug._

_You've got a bright future ahead,_

_But for now it's bed._

_Full of dreams and desires,_

_Learn to bend water._

_All your wishes will come true,_

_But right now it's bed for you!_

_Oh my little water-bender,_

_Oh my little love,_

_How so very small you are_

_In such a great big world…_


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN **

The next thing Katara knew, it was morning. Her song was so effective it lulled even her into sleep. She looked to her side. Only Toph's silky blanket lay beside her. Birds were chirping outside, where light penetrated the thick canvas tent with a twilight glow. Katara groaned, stretched and changed out of her sleep clothes into her everyday ones. She opened the tent and stepped out into the day where her blue boots rested. She slipped into them and walked over to the middle of camp. The other three members of her crew were tending to the camp-fire, readying themselves a breakfast. Aang was rifling through his knapsack as if looking for something while Sokka sat on a stump, examining his boomerang. She approached the trio and greeted them. Katara looked for Toph, concerned about how she was doing after her brush last night with the dark side of dreaming. She found Toph popping a squat near the fire, cooking a slab of meat and an egg over the fire in a metal pan.

"Good morning everybody. Toph." The gang greeted Katara.

"Oh, hi Katara…" Toph said with a pause. There was a trace of sadness on her voice. Katara walked over to her and sat down cross-legged.

"How are you doing after last night?" She asked with a caring tone.

"Fine. Just fine. Thank you for letting me sleep with you. It was much better than my lonely rock house."

"Think nothing of it. I told you I would help you. We've have to stick together. Help each other out, you know?" Toph flipped her meal with a pair of chopsticks to cook the other side.

"Yes. We should stick together, shouldn't we? I am, after all, starting to like hanging out with you guys." Katara grinned and went over to Aang. He seemed to ignore her, lost in his search though the bag. It seemed as though there was something important somewhere within it. Katara touched Aang's shoulder and greeted him.

"No time to talk. I think I've lost something very important. My staff seems to be missing."

"That red-winged staff you use to fly with?" Aang turned around and nodded. "That's not good. You need that to use your air-bending abilities to the fullest extent. And flying of course."

"I know. When we retreated from the city yesterday, I think I forgot it in the scramble. I'm going back into town to look for it." Said Aang as he fastened the closure on the satchel. He sounded worried, with reason of course. Aang had that staff since the adventure began; losing it may hinder the rest of the adventure. Aang needed it now more than ever.

"Should I stay here with the others?" questioned Katara.

"Yes. I'd prefer to go alone as no-one saw me in the area where I believe I lost it. I have the best chance to retrieve it if I enter the city alone."

"I see. I'll hang out here until you get back. Good luck on finding it, Aang…" Katara began to sound worried as well. She hoped Aang could find his staff, or avoid capture by the guards, for that matter. The gang stirred up quite a bit of trouble yesterday. The city guards may still be searching for them. Katara put her arms out and hugged Aang closely before he turned and left. Katara wished him well one more time before he got out of earshot.

"Please come back safely." She said quietly to herself, looking down and fumbling her necklace between her fingers.


End file.
